In the field of water meters, a turbine, nutating disc, a compound meter, or other type of flow measuring device is positioned in a housing that is connected in a water supply line. This is a “water meter”.
An instrument known as a “register” is disposed on the water meter, usually on top of the water meter in a casing of a type shown in Paese et al. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 347,592, issued Jun. 7, 1994. Inside the register enclosure is a device with a dial or an odometer, or both, for displaying a number of units of water, such as cubic feet or gallons, which has been consumed by a water utility customer. See, for example, the register described in Paese et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,776, which discloses an odometer in a meter register.
It has been known to couple the movements of the flow responsive element in a water meter to a meter register by providing a moving magnetic element in the meter (“the wet side”) and an element to detect rotation or other movement of the flow responsive element in the meter register (“the dry side”). This allows the register to be mounted on the meter in a non-invasive fashion.
In the southern United States, utility meters are often located outside of residential buildings, sometimes in subsurface enclosures called “pits.” An example is illustrated and described in Cerny et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,894, issued Mar. 29, 1994, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. During rainy periods, these metering units may be subjected to extreme moisture conditions, and even submersion under water.
For durability and protection against intrusion of moisture, meter registers have been made with a glass lens, a metal bottom and a butyl rubber sealant as disclosed in Walding, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,728, issued Aug. 16, 2005. This meter register is a mechanical device, with moving plastic parts, such as a tabulating mechanism and with a dial or an odometer for displaying units of consumption for a utility, in this case, water.
Olson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,769, discloses an electronic, programmable meter register to detect such movements and to display flow quantities using a liquid crystal display (LCD). The register includes a magnetic pulse pickup to sense movements of the flow metering element. This register demonstrated increased use of plastic parts, but still used a metal bottom and a glass lens in some embodiments.
Another example of an electronic meter with no moving parts is disclosed in Olson et al., U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US2010/0321205 A1. This meter uses ultrasonic methods to sense flow in a flow stream, however, the sensors for the unit penetrate the fluid conduit.
There remains a need for an all-electronic, non-invasive, meter register with no moving parts, with improved resistance to moisture and which can be made with lower cost parts and assembled more efficiently than meter registers of the prior art.